A Little Business Starts With A Big Initiative ... And A Visit to JA BizTown

At 13 years old, Alejandro from the West Des Moines School District already has a business card. He sets his budget and has his own customers. But perhaps the most impressive part of this young entrepreneur’s story is that no one told him to start a business. He decided to do it himself.

For Alejandro, learning about business didn’t end when he left JA BizTown as a fifth grader. That was just the beginning.

During the summer of 2025, Alejandro teamed up with two classmates and three of his siblings to start a landscaping business. Together, they worked through the details of what it would take to run their own operation. They decided who would fill each role, how to divide the money they earned, what services to offer, how much to charge, and how to keep track of their work.

They even thought through the smaller details, like when to take water breaks and whose house would host lunch.

For a few weeks, the young entrepreneurs worked together, earning close to $100 each. But the experience gave Alejandro more than a little spending money. It gave him an opportunity to put his ideas into action, work with a team, and experience what it takes to run a business.

Image caption: Alejandro put his entrepreneurial skills into action, mowing a neighbor’s lawn for his business this past summer.

By spring 2026, Alejandro was ready to try something on his own.

Now finishing sixth grade, he developed a plan for his own lawn-mowing business. Instead of simply asking his parents for permission, he created a presentation explaining why he wanted to start the business and how he would make it work. He built a budget that accounted for gas and set aside money in case the lawn mower needed repairs.

Then he made his own business cards and began connecting with potential customers. Soon, he had three clients on the books.

Alejandro’s journey from JA BizTown to running his own business illustrates how an experience can spark something that continues to grow long after the school day ends.

At JA BizTown, students get a hands-on look at how the business world works. They experience what it takes to run a business and discover how their decisions can shape its success. For students like Alejandro, that experience can become a starting point for turning what they’ve learned into real-world opportunities.

The following summer, he and his siblings and classmates put their ideas into practice. A year later, he took what he had learned from that experience and applied it to a business of his own.

Alejandro’s story shows what can happen when young people gain the confidence to turn an idea into action. The experience he gained through JA is already helping him take steps toward a future full of possibility.

Alejandro’s parents shared his story with JA because they saw the experience’s impact firsthand. And they are looking forward to what comes next, two of their younger children will soon have their own JA BizTown experiences.

“I cannot wait to see how JA inspires them!” they shared.

For Alejandro, the journey is just beginning. After spending the summer mowing lawns for his own customers, he’s already experienced what it feels like to turn an idea into a business. And at just 13 years old, he’s only getting started.

His business may have started with a lawn mower and a handful of business cards, but the possibilities extend far beyond the neighborhood lawns he tends.

Sometimes, the most meaningful sign of learning isn't what a student remembers from a lesson. It's what they feel confident enough to do next.